Facelift
With time, skin can begin to wrinkle and lose its elasticity. Jowls may appear along the jawline, and the creases between the nose and the corner of the mouth (nasolabial folds) may deepen. Sun exposure may have damaged the skin and smoking may have caused tiny lines to form around the mouth (marionette lines). Loose skin can dangle under the chin creating an effect called “turkey wattle.” Face and neck lift surgery (rhytidectomy) remove excess skin and fat from the neck and lower jawline (jowl) to give the lower two-thirds of the face a more youthful and rested look. Face and neck lifts are most commonly done on people age 40 to 70. They can be done alone or in combination with other procedures.
What to Expect:
Face and neck lifts have some limitations. No changes are made to the forehead or eye area. Additional surgeries may be needed to make those changes. Results can range from subtle to dramatic. How long the effects last depends on many factors, such as exposure to sun and tobacco products, and your genetic makeup. What to expect During a facelift, Dr. Friedman hides the incisions in the skin around the ear. The incisions extend to the front of the ears, continue under the earlobes, and curve behind the ears into the scalp where hair hides the incisions (hairbearing scalp). Little or no hair is trimmed from the scalp. The surgeon creates a smoother and more defined contour to the neck and jawline and removes excess skin. While the incisions are well hidden, they will not be invisible.
During a neck lift, Dr. Friedman trims fat deposits from the jawline or from under the chin. Sometimes, an incision is made under the chin. He tightens the neck and jawline by moving the skin and deeper tissue and muscles. Incisions are closed with suturesks may include:
- Staples that are removed later.
- Infection
- Bleeding
- Ear, eyebrow or facial numbness or paralysis. Numbness usually goes away within a few weeks, but it may last
- longer. Rarely, it is permanent
- Hair loss or changes in hairline
- Skin discoloration
- Blood under the skin (hematoma), fluid under the skin (seroma), blood clots in veins (deep vein thrombosis) or blood clots in the lungs (pulmonary embolism)
- Scarring
